


Zoë

by ForcedSimile



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 23:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForcedSimile/pseuds/ForcedSimile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi had only ever chosen two people to be in his family.  Both were named Zoë.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zoë

He saw Eren approach from some distance away. It was the advantage of a tree house. Eren waved hesitantly and Levi just looked down at him.

“Can I come up a moment?” Eren asked. Levi nodded and Eren started to climb the rungs of the latter made of boards nailed to the tree trunk. Levi turned away from the tree house window and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. Eren came in and had the same reaction as everyone else, a childlike awe. “It’s actually really nice in here.”

“I only followed the instructions I was given,” Levi said. His eyes lingered on a pair of goggles on a nail before he turned them back to focus on Eren. He seemed nervous and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“If I was still a child when we got beyond the walls, I would have loved to build one of these on my own,” Eren said.

“You can still build one. I did,” Levi said.

“Yeah. Well, I’ll have another reason to build one soon,” Eren said. Levi raised an eyebrow. “Mikasa is pregnant.”

“Congratulations,” Levi said.

“Armin is the only person who knows, he was the doctor who examined her after all. I wanted you to be the first one to find out,” Eren said. Levi didn’t say anything as Eren ran his hands through his hair. “I mean...you’re the closest thing I have to a father so...I really wanted you to know.”

Levi snorted, “I’m a shitty parent.”

“I’ve had a shitty life,” Eren said. Levi managed a smirk. “So will you help me build a tree house for my son?”

“Or daughter,” Levi added. “If you really want me to.”

Eren smiled and hugged Levi. Levi stiffened at the sudden, warm contact, but managed to lightly pat his back in return.

“See you later, Levi,” Eren said. He climbed out of the tree house and Levi watched him leave.

“Eren!” Levi called. Eren turned around. “I’m really happy for you.”

Eren only grinned and headed off. Levi retrieved the goggles from off the nail and put them on. He gazed off into the distance as the glass began to fog up.

* * *

 

There had been a major accident. Several carriages and carts got into a tangled mess in the middle of a busy intersection. Eren and Mikasa had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Eren died right away, but there was no time to mourn. Mikasa had severe injuries, and what was worse, she had gone into an induced labor and it was just a hair too soon for the baby to be born. Though Armin tried, and Levi knew he _tried_ , he couldn’t do anything to stop the baby from coming. As Levi was listed as next of kin for Eren and Mikasa, he was the first informed of Eren’s death and Mikasa’s condition. He rushed to her side without a second thought and submitted his arm to Mikasa’s death grip. Giving life was as messy as taking it, Levi learned. When the baby was finally out, the screams may have died, but he felt so hollow at the scene. Mikasa wasn’t seeing the baby or Armin, her eyes were focused a million miles away across stages of life. The baby wasn’t crying, it was far too small for Levi’s liking. Armin looked to him.

“Cut the cord quickly. I can save baby at least,” he said. Levi did not waste time, as soon as the scissors were in his hand he cut the cord and Armin rushed off. Mikasa’s face was pale but Levi knew it wasn’t just exhaustion. She was going and fast. He stayed with her until her body became cold and the nurses put a sheet over her and moved her to her place beside Eren. The nurses instructed him to wash before he went to see Armin and the baby. He did not object.

It was an hour before Armin found him. Levi could tell by Armin’s face that he didn’t need to know Mikasa had died. He beckoned for Levi to come with him.

“I was really scared for a while. The baby is stabilized for now. If she makes it through the night, she’ll be fine. She’ll have to stay in the hospital for a week or so,” Armin said.

“I’m staying with her. You have other patients,” he said.

“I knew you would. I told the nurses you would be coming.”

Armin hurried off to help with any other victims. Levi entered the nursery and every eye in the room turned to him. A nurse hurried over.

“You must be Mr. Ackerman. Come with me,” she said. He was shown to a cradle. The girl was so very tiny. Levi of all people knew that size was not always an indicator of survival. He nudged her tiny fist with his finger. Her fingers uncurled as she cooed and she curled them again around his finger. His breath hitched slightly.

“That’s right. I got you, kid,” he said.

In the morning, all of the baby’s paper work was drawn up.

Parents: Eren and Mikasa Yaeger

Legal Guardian: Levi Ackerman

Name: Zoë Eren Ackerman

* * *

 

Levi approached the tree house and heard Zoë’s giggles from yards away.

“Look up, Papa! I can’t see how you look if you stare straight ahead!” she cried. He looked up at the tree house window and she pouted. “I can’t tell how they look from here, climb up!”

He smirked. “I’m getting too old for this.”

“You’ve been old as long as I can remember,” she said.

“You and your smart mouth.” He climbed into the tree house and Zoë covered her eyes and was sitting cross legged under the window. “What are you doing?”

“Say ‘surprise!’” she said.

“Why?”

“Just do it!”

He sighed. “Surprise.”

Zoë removed her hands from her eyes and gasped in mock astonishment. “Those make you look practically ancient, Papa.”

Levi adjusted his new glasses. “Well, I need to see your weird ass face somehow.”

He tweaked her nose as she giggled.

“That’s a coin for the swear jar,” she said.

“I’ll take the loss.”

She took them off his face and put them on. “How do I look?”

Levi’s heart stopped. Under normal circumstances, Zoë looked like her parents: Mikasa’s dark hair, pretty lips, and sharp jaw line, Eren’s eyes and nose. However, with her hair in a pony tail and those glasses, with his eyesight obscured just a little...

“Hange?” he whispered.

“Papa?” she said softly and took his hand. He didn’t say anything. She gave him back his glasses and he put them on. The ephemeral image of Hange was gone. “This isn’t the first time you’ve called me Hange. Why do you call me that sometimes?”

He breathed deeply and looked at the pair of goggles hanging on the nail on the wall behind her.

“Who was Hange? You tell me about my parents all the time, but you’ve only mentioned Hange a little bit. What was she like?” Zoë asked.

“Hange was the only person, aside from you, that I chose to be part of my family,” he said. “Everyone else chose me.”

“Were you married to her?”

The dam of memories burst. He was hit straight on with a surge of smiles, knowing looks, jokes, touches, glares, conversations, kisses, sleepless nights, shared trauma, actions they both hoped would save humanity. The force of it physically pressed him backwards, causing him to stumble until his back hit the wall.

“Are you all right, Papa? I’m sorry,” she said. He was shaking all over and he slid into a sitting position. Zoë ran over and put her hands on either side of his face. “Who am I? Do you know my name?”

He put his shaking hands on her wrists. “Zoë. You’re my little girl.”

“Right. Where are we?”

“In the tree house.”

“What color are my eyes?”

“Green.”

“Good, good. Breathe deep, Papa.”

He did, only for it to turn into a mess of sobs. He hugged her close and she hugged him tightly. It felt like hours until he finally stopped. Zoë faithfully stayed in his arms, she fell asleep before he regained his composure. He woke her up enough so she could latch on to him while he climbed down from the tree house and took her inside so she could sleep in her bed. He came to her room with a late night snack of buttered bread and tea. He had hoped she would have remained asleep, but when he came to her room, she was sitting upright and waiting for him. He gave her the bread and tea and she didn’t say a word. He sat on the bed and smoothed her hair.

“Hange Zoë was one of the most curious minds I have ever met. She was the person I loved and my best friend.”

Zoë had been regaled with tales of her parents many times before, but she had never heard more than a few words about her namesake. She hung on Levi’s stories about Hange until she fell asleep. When Levi saw she was half asleep, he kissed her forehead and she curled up under her blankets.

“Good night, Zoë,” he said.

Levi didn’t have dreams the way others did. If there was a wish that was close to a dream, it was that he’d have a family with a person who’d go by the name of Zoë Ackerman. Though not quite as planned, he was glad this one had come true.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, implied after the series. I'm worried I made Levi a bit soft but, I'd imagine several years of peace and raising a child might soften his rougher edges. For the record, I don't think Levi would ever ask Hange to change her name (or that he'd ever stop calling her Hange). I implied that Hange designed the tree house so she could build one after they got beyond the walls. Levi found the diagrams and made it himself.


End file.
